Founder Dirk Ulrich reacquires Plugin Alliance and Brainworx for RCKFRC group
What's the deal? Dirk UlrichDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has reacquired audio software brands Plugin AllianceDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and BrainworxDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, bringing both back under his personal ownership as of 15 July 2026. The two now join hardware makers ManleyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and ApogeeDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → within Ulrich's new RCKFRC audio group.
Why now? The move follows a wave of consolidation in music software, including Native Instruments' acquisition of assets in the space and iZotope's shift to Boris FXDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Ulrich, the original founder of both brands, framed the deal as a "full-circle moment."
What's the endgame? Ulrich says he plans to keep supporting existing products, invest in engineering, and integrate the brands into what he calls "the new RCKFRC universe" alongside Apogee and Manley. "This isn't a restart. It's a continuation," he wrote.
What changes for customers? The reacquisition aims to settle uncertainty among users over the future of their licenses. Ulrich acknowledged that many had been "asking the same questions on social media" about whether their plugins and licenses would continue to work.
The signal: The pro-audio market is reshuffling fast, with major software brands changing hands in quick succession. Ulrich's return to Plugin Alliance and Brainworx is a rare case of a founder buying back the companies he built, betting that independent ownership can steady a customer base rattled by industry churn.
Read more: Sound on Sound
Image credit: audiomixhouse
